Fence



l(No Model.)

G. A.HORN.

PBNGB.

No. 402,595. Y 1 'Patented May 7, 1889;'

N. PETERS, PhuLHhomphar, Washlpgton. D. C`

NTED STATES AJ'TENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. HORN, OF NE\VARK, NEWY YORK.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,595, dated May '7,1889.

Application tiled February 27, 1889. Serial No. 301,319. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, GEORGE A. HORN, of Newark, in the county of YVayneand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inFences, which improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecication and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The object of' my invention isto produce an improved worm rail fence,the same being hereinafter fully described, and more particularlypointed out in the claims. This fence is constructed so as to save onerail in each panel, amounting` to the saving of oneseventh of the wholenumber ofI rails in putting up a seven-rail fence of any given length.

A wire binder secures the rails at each angle of the fence, the loop insaid binder being made to encircle the upper rails ofthe fence at eachangle, preferably more than one-half of the rails at the angle beinginclosed within the loop. The tightener for the wire binder is placedmidway of the height of the fence, it being thereby held by the combinedweight of all the rails above it.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of `a wormfence, showing the rails forming two angles of the fence; Fig. 2, a sideelevation of the same; and Fig. 3, drawn to a smaller scale, a sideelevation, at an inner angle, of the fence, showing the wire binderbefore being strained upon the rails. l

Referring to the parts shown in the drawings, A are the rails formingthe panels of a worm fence, laidtogether in substantially the usualmanner, and preferably resting upon block h. .d is a binder, formed ofwire or cable, for the rails at the angle of the fence; and c, atightener for the wire binder. In practice this tightener is a piece ofbroken rail or similar stick of wood otherwise of no use in theconstruction of the fence. The bindingwire is made to form a loopinclosing'the upper rails ofthe fence, preferably more than one-half ofthe railsrat each angle of the fence being inclosed in the loop. Fromthe loop the wire Vis carried downward to an anchoring-stake, d, towhich it is made secure by any simple means. The tightener c for thewire binder is inserted between two adjacent rails at the angle of thefence, about midway of the height of the latter, one end of thetight-ener being also passed through the wire loop. The free end of thetightener is then swung in a radial direction in substantially ahorizontal plane, as-indicated in Fig. l, to a position immediatelybeneath and in contact with the superincumbent rail, to which it issecured by a holder, e, made, preferably, of cable or wire. This holderc may have its ends fastened together by any simple meansas, forinstance, by twisting them one over the other.

In building up this fence new the ends of lthe tighteners c are placedbetween the rails at the angles of the fence, at about the middle of theheight of the latter, the tighteners standing o ut from the fence,substantially as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l. After the rails areall laid up the binding-wires d are respectively secured to stakes d,driven in the ground at the inner angles of the fence. These wires areeach then carried up the adjacent inner angle of the fence, over the toprail, and downward along the opposite angle and around under theadjacent end of the rail first below the tightener c. It is then broughtthrough the fence andthe end secured to the wire, as s hown at f, thusforming a complete loop, encircling all the rails above the tightener,the latter, and the rail next beneath the tightener. The tighteners arethen successively swung to place, as above stated, having their freeends made fast by holders e. When thus completed, the upper rails of thefence at each angle and the respective tighteners are all firmly boundtogether, the tighteners being parallel with the respectivesuperincumbent rails and in close contact with the under surfaces of thelatter. By means of these tightening-sticks the wire loops are twistedand drawn down-tightly over the rails; and by the use of these sticks arail is saved for each panel of fence, which is a matter of importancein constructing farm-fences.

In applying this improvement to old fences, or fences of which the railsare `already laid up, I drive the anchor-stakes d alternately onopposite sides of the fence, as shown. I then raise the rails at eachangle of the fence and insert the ends of the respectivetighteningsticks at the places desired, allowing them to stond ont fromthe fence, substantially as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l. Thebinding-Wires are then secured to the respective stakes and carried overthe rails and looped, as above described.

The Various wire loops, when strained by the tighteners, firmly hold theupper rails and the tighteners together, while the wireconneetions withthe anchor-stakes hold down all of the rails, the stakes being drivendown so :is to draw tightly upon the wires.

What I claim as my invention is- A Worm fence composed of rails laidtogether substantially in the usual manner, in combination with :t Wireor cable binder for the rails at the angle of the fence and a tight`ener for said binder, the binder being formed in a loop to encircle theupper rails of thc felice, and said tightener for the Wire binder beingshorter than the rails of the fence and placed between the rails midwayof the height of the fence, said tightener being passed through the loopand turned to a, position parallel with the superincumbent rail andcontiguous to the under surface thereof, and a fastener or holder forsaid tightener and superineum bent mil, substantially as shown anddescribed.

GEORGE A. HORN.

VitneSSeS:

E. B. WHITMORE, M. L. HCDERMOTT.

